The race to 10,000

[Drvmb1ggl3]

The RP has a nice article on the duel between Russell Baze and Jorge Ricardo to be the first jock to break the 10,000 winners barrier. Both passed Laffit Pincay's record last year and are on course to break the 10k mark sometime this year, but they are neck and neck in this stretch duel.


A PAIR of riders on different continents are currently involved in a ding-dong battle for the world record in career victories.

America's Russell Baze became the winningmost rider of all-time on December 1, 2006 when he rode the 9,531st winner of his career to surpass a mark established seven years earlier by Panamanian legend Laffit Pincay.

However, Baze had overtaken Brazilian superstar Jorge Ricardo only a few months before – and when Pincay's record was broken, the South American rider was just 27 behind. Four weeks later, Ricardo emulated Baze in surpassing Pincay's mark.

Since then, the overall lead has changed hands on several occasions as the pair continue towards the 10,000 mark.

All-time career wins ( As at August 12, 2007)
1. Jorge Ricardo 9,810
2. Russell Baze 9,807
3. Laffit Pincay 9,530
4. BillShoemaker 8,833
5. Pat Day 8,803


World record holders The nine jockeys who have held the record in the past 120 years. Details in brackets: where born, where based, first winner-last winner, year broke record
2,587* George Fordham(born Britain/based Britain, 1851-83)
2,748* Fred Archer(Britain/Britain,1870-86, 1886)
3,260 Sam Heapy (Britain/Belgium, 1899-1940, 1934)
4,870* Sir Gordon Richards (Britain/Britain, 1921-54,1947)
6,032 John Longden (Britain/USA,1927-66, 1956)
8,833 Bill Shoemaker (USA/USA, 1949-90, 1970)
9,530 Laffit Pincay (Panama/USA, 1964-2003,1999)
9,724+ Russell Baze (Canada/USA, 1974-, 2006)
9,724+ Jorge Ricardo (Brazil/Argentina, 1976-, 2007)
*wins in Britain only (Compiled by John Randall)

[Drvmb1ggl3]

Bios on both of these journeymen jocks.

JORGE RICARDO
Brazilian
Riding base: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Born: September 30, 1961
First win: Taim, trained by father Antonio Ricardo, at La Gavea (Rio) on November 16, 1976
Best season: 477 (1992/93)
Numerical titles: 26
Best horse: Much Better (South American horse of the year 1994 and 1995)
Biggest winners: Much Better (GP Carlos Pellegrini 1994, GP Latinoamericano 1994 and 1996, GP Brasil 1994, GP Sao Paulo 1994), Falcon Jet (GP Latinoamericano 1991, GP Brasil 1992), Sandpit (1993 GP Cruzeiro do Sul), Jimwaki (GP Latinoamericano 1998), Gorylla (GP Carlos Pellegrini 2003), Macbeth (GP Sao Paulo 2005), Good Report (2007 GP Jose Pedro Ramirez, GPLatinoamericano 2007) - plus many other South American Group 1s with these and other horses.


Known as ‘Ricardinho' at home, the Brazilian legend started riding as a 15-year-old apprentice in 1976. He won his first jockeys' championship in Brazil in 1982 – and retained the title every season afterwards until he moved permanently to Argentina in June 2006.

Ricardo's best season was 1992/93 when posted an incredible 477 winners; he reached the 400-mark on five occasions altogether.

Although he has partnered Group 1 winners in all the major South American racing nations, until 2006 Ricardo had ridden all but a handful of his winners in Brazil, the vast majority of them at the famous La Gavea racecourse in central Rio.

Bertrand Kauffman, racing controller of the Jockey Club Brazileiro, says: “Jorge Ricardo is an outstanding jockey, able to compete in all the world. He is now riding in Argentina, a very competitive country, against a very good team of jockeys – and he is getting very good results.”

Ricardo has appeared in Europe - once, when he partnered South American champion Much Better to finish 14th to Carnegie in the 1994 Arc.


RUSSELL BAZE
American
Riding base Northern California, USA
Born August 7, 1958 in Vancouver, Canada
First win: Oregon Warrior, trained by father Joe Baze, at Yakima Meadows (Washington state) on October 28, 1974
Best season: 448 in 1995
Numerical titles: 8
Best horse: Lost In The Fog (champion sprinter 2005)
Grade 1 winners: Both Ends Burning (Oak Tree Invitational 1984), Hawkster (Oak Tree Invitational 1989), Devil's Orchid (Santa Monica Hcap 1991), Lost In The Fog (King'sBishop Stakes 2005)


The word ‘prolific' could have been coined for the remarkable Russell Baze. But though he passed Laffit Pincay's world record mark in December 2006, he has never been a household name, even in the US.

The vast majority of Baze's career has been spent away from the bright lights on the Northern California circuit at tracks like Golden Gate Fields and Bay Meadows. Essentially, he is a big fish in a small pond.

What a big fish, though. Baze has won 65 riding titles at the Bay area tracks, in the process leading the nation in terms of races won eight times. He has ridden more than 400 winners in a season 11 times; no one else has done it more than three times.

Having received a special Eclipse award in 1995, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999.

Speaking of his Brazilian rival, Baze said: “I knew there was a guy down there who was close to me. More power to him – competition is the name of the game.”

[Drvmb1ggl3]

He done did it, Jorge Ricardo has hit the 10,000 mark.
What an amazing accomplishment.
I checked earlier in the week, and he was at 9,995 and I thought it would be this weekend sometime when he broke the 10k. But then he went out and rode 5 winners yesterday.... from 5 rides!

Hats off to Mr Ricardo!!!!!!!

Russell Baze has 27 to go to reach 10,000, he will more than likely pass that mark sometime in the next couple of weeks.

[texang73]

Wow. Just wow. That's a great accomplishment for both men! :D

[Texarkana]

Congrats to Ricardo (and Baze when he gets there soon). Amazing!

[Texarkana]

Bumping this back up, as Baze is sitting at 9,999 wins. He has 7 mounts today at Golden Gate Fields... 5 of which are the ML favorites.

[Glimmerglass]

With the SF Chronicle Feb 1st article "With 2 winners in 6, Baze is at No. 9,999" (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/01/SPE2UQ48T.DTL)

He almost did it yesterday

He missed by a head in the fifth race with 3-to-5 favorite Swishing Tiger, who finished second, and he finished sixth with 7-to-1 Count Coup in the third, seventh with 4-to-1 Coronado's Way in the sixth and third with 9-to-5 favorite Shining Day in the seventh.

[JER]

In the midst of all the celebrating, all I can think is: poor Laffit. He didn't want to stop riding and the $2.7 million he won from the ambulance company -- who were unbelievably negligent -- isn't really much consolation.

But congrats to both jocks, Baze will get there soon, and really, these are remarkable careers.

[Glimmerglass]

In the midst of all the celebrating, all I can think is: poor Laffit. He didn't want to stop riding and the $2.7 million he won from the ambulance company -- who were unbelievably negligent -- isn't really much consolation.

TVG had an indepth interview with Angel Cordero Jr from last fall and he still would love to ride again. He gave it up only after injury and promising his now deceased wife. While there was a one-day return in 2005 or 2006 to raise money for charity - he really would like to ride more. However he knows at 60+ yrs old it just isn't going to work ;) As an exercise rider for Pletcher he is likely more fit then 50% of the riders out there ...

[pinkdiamondracing]

Russell will have to get the job done today on just four mounts, as one is a scratch due to a high temp. (Maybe she's heard all the hype surrounding her race and decided she couldn't stand the pressure):lol::lol: All I can say is that knowing Russell personally and being one of his biggest fans is "Go Russell the Muscle!!!!!" Couldn't happen to a nicer, more humble guy!!

[Glimmerglass]

Mission accomplished: 10,000 victories

He won aboard Two Step Cat in the 3rd race at GGF

[pinkdiamondracing]

Congratulations Russell-- now on to 11,000!!!!!!!! :winkgrin::winkgrin::D:D

[Glimmerglass]

Just curious but there had been an on-line site with a tracker/clock for both Russ and Jorge Ricardo (I didn't keep the link) - I wonder if anyone knows what Jorge is now at?

[Barnfairy]

Mission accomplished: 10,000 victories

He won aboard Two Step Cat in the 3rd race at GGF
And what an AWESOME ride that was! Right down to the wire. Very exciting.

[Texarkana]

Bumping this back up again, as I thought this was neat:

Baze, Ricardo to ride at Ascot
DRF 2/11/08 (http://www.drf.com/news/article/92222.html)

The Brazilian Ricardo, 46, and the American Baze, 49, with more than 20,000 victories between them, have accepted invitations to ride in the international jockey competition that day at the famed English racecourse, where they will be teammates on the three-member Rest of the World Team that will compete in six races against teams from Britain, Ireland, and Europe...



This is part of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup on August 9th.

[Barnfairy]

Really cool. :cool:

[Glimmerglass]

Although the actual "battle" was going back and forth like a tennis match, this is the first I've seen of Baze regaining the lead in a while. Sorry to hear (and best wishes to) Jorge Ricardo is injured. With the exceedingly slimmed down GGF days of racing it seems like Baze has fewer chances then ever to really fatten up his tally of wins.

May 19, 2009 DRF "Baze regains title as world's winningest rider" (http://drf.com/news/article/103880.html)

Russell Baze is riding high as the winningest jockey in the world again.

Baze claimed that title in December 2006 when he surpassed Laffit Pincay's world record of 9,530 victories. He was passed by Brazilian rider Jorge Ricardo two months later.

Baze regained the distinction as the world's winningest rider Thursday, with a pair of victories at Golden Gate Fields that put him two ahead of Ricardo's total of 10,520 victories.

The 47-year-old Ricardo has been sidelined since suffering a fractured skull in March.

After taking the lead Thursday, Baze added 11 more wins over the weekend with four on Friday, three Saturday, and four more Sunday. That brought his win total to 10,533.

Baze has been on fire on Sundays of late. This past Sunday he rode three straight winners, in the fourth (Ordination, $3.60), fifth (Groovy Chick, $6.40), and sixth (Seven Lucky J's, $6.60), and then won the ninth (El Palqui, $9.20).

Baze, who will turn 51 on Aug. 7, is riding as well as ever. He has won with 174 of 554 mounts this year, 31 percent. What is even more phenomenal is that he has hit the board with 70 percent of his mounts. He has ridden 10 more winners than he has ridden horses that have gone unplaced.

At his current pace, he will reach the 400-victory mark in one season for the 13th time in his career.

His 176 victories at the meet has nearly doubled the 97 wins of second-place rider Frank Alvarado.

Money in the bank ;)